Packers and the Elusive Safety Position

Is it just me or does it seem like there is always a problem with our Safeties? More often than not, one of them is injured. This week, and the next 2 after that (hopefully hes back after the bye week) Atari Bigby will be out and Aaron Rouse will be in. Is Rouse good enough to be our starting Strong Safety? Can we afford another injury back there? I think we are lucky this is happening in the early part of the schedule playing against some weaker teams.

Safety is a big concern of mine in the next following weeks. It still leaves me scratching my head as to why we cut Anthony Smith. I do not feel comfortable at all having Rouse starting, let alone getting significant playing time.

I guess I'm not too surprised. Safeties are running near or at full speed trying to make big hits and hard hitting tackles. They also can collide into other DBs trying to make plays on a ball and get blindsided. I think they make the most full speed tackles of any position!? That has to be a lot of jarring hits throughout the season.

Kind of makes less sense why they got rid of A. Smith. Guess there was attitude issues and like I think RSPacker said, he wasn't following the game plan occasionally.

Rouse played alright last week. He's going to get burned on a couple soft coverages, but I do think Capers is smart enough not to depend on him overly much for coverage. He's best used to try to move the offense into the playmakers and when used as such he's generally effective and will occasionally come up with a nice play out of nowhere. I like to think he's gaining more vision, but we'll see how he plays out the next few weeks.

As for Smith, I liked his play, but the guy had to have had some personality issues which were causing the coaches and maybe some players problems. After his good preseason it looked like he was competing for a spot. To let him go means he was a cancer and that's exactly what you never want on a team.

It seems the Packers have been more or less struggling with the safety area since they lost LeRoy Butler to, a bit, premature retirement due to injury in 2001.

They've had flashes of great play from Darren Sharper & Nick Collins since then but the rest of the time it's been guys like Antwan Edwards, Bhawoh Jue, Marques Anderson, Mark Roman, Bigby and Rouse teasing and frustrating us back there.

This is Rouse's big chance to show, in his third year, that he's different. He would seem to have all the size and skill set to be a good one, his interceptions and runbacks for td's is high in proportion to the plays he's actually been on the field for.

But he needs to demonstrate durability, consistency and assignment surety to establish himself as a worthy, quality starter and he needs to start doing it now.

When we start getting injuries to positions like this it makes the decision to keep 3 fullbacks more questionable when we could have one more backup in a key position. I would feel better if Smith was backing Rouse, if Rouse does not perform.

Smith as a number 3 SS? It's unreasonable to think that would have ever happened or that it would have even been a good thing. The times he'd likely come into play would be few and far between and he doesn't add anything else to the team.

He had potential to be a first round pick. He hit like a linebacker in college. He had decent vision, decent hands, and decent speed. His tendency to over pursue was what knocked him down to the 3rd round where I think he wass drafted.

Answer, truthfully, is that yeah, he can probably be effective as a starter RIGHT NOW in the season. Against better teams, probably not. However I do feel safe with him in the secondary. Bigby is a better option, but with how often he is injured so far in his career, my question is do you use a second round pick next season on a replacement for Barbre or do you go for some more depth at safety? There are some great options so far from the looks of it that could be available that late.

I think Nate Allen from USF could be a top canidate as a replacement, esp if he could sit the bench for a little. Bottom line is that the reliability of our safeties is too much. Collins is lights out, but Bigby's constant injuries has to bring up some concern. I am not sure if he has been healthy for a good portion of the year since he has been with the team.

I'm sure that TT will be scouring the league if Rouse screws up or someone else gets hurt this week. But remember that we have Martin and Bush to play safety as well. I'm not ready to give up on them yet. But next season we'll need some help. I think Bigby and Collins could both be gone.
Collins can't miss plays like he did last week and keep coming up gimpy (whether he was hurt or not). Collins hasn't earned that huge payday yet in my eyes.

Let's not forget; the Packers could play Charles Woodson at safety, if necessary. They did it last year and there's been talk of extending his playing career by eventually moving him there if his speed for the cornerback position slows down.

Jarrett Bush is another versatile corner/safety prospect for occasional or short term duty. His coverage work in the past would make one nervous but maybe with development and a new defensive system he would do better.

Here's to hoping TT will do something to get Taylor Mays or Eric Berry.

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In your opinion, who's better? I know both are beasts, but IMO Mays is just too much of a freak. He has linebacker size and cornerback speed and agility. He makes some ill-advised gambles, but that can be coached... And he projects as a SS in the pros, which is a bigger need considering Bigby's injury proness...

In your opinion, who's better? I know both are beasts, but IMO Mays is just too much of a freak. He has linebacker size and cornerback speed and agility. He makes some ill-advised gambles, but that can be coached... And he projects as a SS in the pros, which is a bigger need considering Bigby's injury proness...

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Well, I need to see more film on both guys tbh. Just from researching both guys, it seems Eric Berry is the better ALL-Around player who can hit hard and can cover the field well. Taylor Mays is much more of the hard-hitting risk taker who can deliver some huge blows to unsuspecting receivers.
Eric Berry seems like the better player, but I like Taylor Mays better since he's such a dominating tackler. I think what factors into it to me is just thinking the packers would have two guys who were on the beastly USC defense.
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Mays also seems like he could be a great leader for any team because of his presence. I definitely do think we need a SS over a FS because like you said with Bigby being so injury-prone. We have to also consider drafting a Cornerback next year since Harris and Woodson are both getting old, even though Woodson especially is showing some great playmaking ability with his strips.

Yahoo! Sports -Sep 23 S Nick Collins has a shot to play in Sunday's game at the St. Louis Rams after many feared he would be lost for some time because of a clavicle sprain that knocked him out of the last contest. Collins was on the practice field Wednesday but in a limited capacity. Head coach Mike McCarthy thinks Collins can be ready by the weekend.

Rotowire -Sep 23 Collins (chest) was limited in Wednesday's practice, the Packers' official site reports. Recommendation: The Packers are also without Atari Bigby (knee) and released Aaron Rouse on Wednesday, a move that probably wouldn't have been made if Collins was going to miss Sunday's game against the Rams.

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Good to hear that it wasnt anything too major with Collins and that he should be back agains the Rams, but that still leaves Bigby's position open so I am assuming Giordano or Bush get this spot?

The team will feel seriously better if Nick Collins continues his rapid recovery from the clavicle sprain he suffered Sunday. Collins practiced again on Thursday and even made it through the contact drills.

"He's practiced two days in a row, so I anticipate Nick will go. He's always been a real pro when it comes to playing through injuries, so I anticipate that he'll go," head coach Mike McCarthy said.

"I want to play and help my team, but if I can't, I will be there right with those guys, coaching them up, and hopefully we can get the job done," Collins said.

Good to hear that it wasnt anything too major with Collins and that he should be back agains the Rams, but that still leaves Bigby's position open so I am assuming Giordano or Bush get this spot?

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I am thinking that Bush will get the nod over Giordano just because he has been with the team longer at this point. Hopefully Giordano can be an upgrade to the position at some point or Bigby can recover quickly.

I am thinking that Bush will get the nod over Giordano just because he has been with the team longer at this point. Hopefully Giordano can be an upgrade to the position at some point or Bigby can recover quickly.

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Agreed, and with Bigby being out until at least after our bye week, I hope Bush has a moment and plays his *** off against the Rams and Viqueens.

Outside of Mays and Berry the 2010 FS and SS draft class seems to be weak so I hope TT looks to find a FA S this offseason. Sean Jones is a possibility. Maybe Giradano will show something and we can start having consistent SS play.

Outside of Mays and Berry the 2010 FS and SS draft class seems to be weak so I hope TT looks to find a FA S this offseason. Sean Jones is a possibility. Maybe Giradano will show something and we can start having consistent SS play.

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I wouldn't hold your breath for acquiring a starting FS or SS. Hopefully the guys we have now came become more than servicable and just stay healthy.

let's bring Marquand Manuel back. Kidding. Then again Manuel might play a lot better in this system. I do not think our SS position will be much better next year because FA and the draft are weak at the S position - unless we finsih in the top-10 or TT trades into the top-10. Another option might be Ryan Clark, but can he play SS and if not can Collins play SS? S has been a problem for us ever since Sharper left. That's one I blame on TT.

How about Woodson at free safety and collins at SS? Move Williams to CB. That would give us Williams and Harris, Woodson and Collins with Martin as the nickel. Maybe Giradano will be a blessing and we find our elusive starting SS.